In a criminal case, the state, through a prosecutor, initiates the suit, while in a civil case the victim brings the suit. Persons convicted of a crime may be incarcerated, fined, or both. Criminal defense attorneys represent clients who have been accused of committing a crime, and defend their rights at each stage of a misdemeanor or felony case -- from an arrest to an appeal after conviction. Criminal defense attorneys may be hired privately or provided by the government (called "public defenders").
Fluvanna is located in Scurry County, just south of the Llano Estacado high atop the caprock in West Texas, where Farm-to-Market Road 1269 and Ranch Road 612 intersect. Fluvanna is named for a surveyor's home county — Fluvanna County, Virginia. Fluvanna was established by realty promoters who knew that the Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway would terminate at this site. Fluvanna's importance lessened when the Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific closed the Fluvanna station in 1941 and major highways bypassed the area. The population dropped from a high of 500 in 1915 to 180 in the 2000 Census. In recent years, all businesses except the post office have closed in downtown Fluvanna. Fluvanna is one of those old country towns that if you blink you'll miss it. It has one blinking stoplight. Currently, the Baptist church is the only church left. The Methodist church and the Church of Christ have both closed.